With midterms fast approaching and control of the U.S. House hanging in the balance, President Donald Trump and his allies have launched an aggressive and legally dubious campaign to reshape how elections are run — sparking alarm among local officials, legal experts, and even members of his own party.

The effort includes demands for access to election equipment, sweeping data requests, threats of federal enforcement, and mid-decade redistricting efforts backed by executive orders that experts say challenge the very limits of presidential power.

“This is not about ‘election integrity,’” said Samantha Tarazi of the Voting Rights Lab. “It’s a federal mobilization to seize power over our elections.”

The Phone Calls That Triggered Alarm

In early July, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving calls and texts from GOP operative Jeff Small, who claimed to be working on behalf of the Trump administration and Stephen Miller, now a deputy White House chief of staff. His request? That counties allow a third party access to their voting machines — a legal and security red line for most election officials.

“Not only is that a hard no,” said Carly Koppes, the Republican clerk of Weld County. “You’re not even going to breathe on my equipment.”

Small’s push was framed as part of Trump’s controversial executive order signed in March, which requires states to enforce proof-of-citizenship voter registration rules and reject ballots arriving after Election Day — even though courts have already blocked much of it.

The White House later disavowed Small’s actions, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak on its behalf. But Small’s lawyer insisted he acted “to support allies in the administration.”

The Bigger Picture: A Federal Pressure Campaign

The outreach to Colorado officials is only one piece of a much larger operation:

• The Justice Department is pressuring states to hand over voter lists and explain voter roll maintenance procedures — including records dating back to the 2020 election.
• The RNC has sued New Jersey for allegedly stonewalling voter data requests. It also sent identical requests to 48 states and D.C. the same day Trump signed his order.
• Texas Republicans unveiled a surprise redistricting plan aimed at flipping five Democratic House seats — a move explicitly backed by Trump.
• Congress passed the SAVE Act, criminalizing accidental voter registration of non-citizens — despite existing laws already prohibiting such voting.

Critics argue this is part of a broad effort to erode faith in elections and intimidate officials into silence.

“These election officials are surfing on quicksand,” said David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. “They don’t know if the Justice Department will sue them. They don’t know if doing their jobs will make them political targets.”

A Dangerous Echo of 2020

The parallels to 2020 are striking. Once again, Trump’s allies are seeking access to voting machines under the guise of uncovering fraud — despite no evidence of widespread irregularities.

Colorado is especially sensitive. The state previously convicted former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters — now serving a nine-year sentence — for breaching her county’s election system while chasing Trump-fueled conspiracy theories. Peters has since become a cause célèbre for the right, with Trump calling her an “innocent Political Prisoner.”

Earlier this year, the Justice Department said it was reviewing Peters’ case. Trump even instructed DOJ officials “to take all necessary action” to help secure her release.

Fear on the Ground

Election officials are feeling the pressure. Koppes, who defended her office’s use of Dominion machines after the 2020 election, received so many threats she began altering her commute — a habit she still keeps. A county elections office in southern Colorado was recently firebombed. No injuries were reported, but the message was clear.

“It took courage for these clerks to say no,” said Gilbert Crane, head of the state’s clerks’ association. “They’re being pulled into a national political storm, and they’re just trying to protect democracy.”

What’s at Stake

Democrats need only three seats in 2026 to flip the House — a shift that could stall Trump’s agenda and unleash new investigations. Trump’s administration, say watchdogs, is responding by attempting to exert unprecedented executive control over election systems the Constitution leaves to the states.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, put it plainly: “Trump is using the power of the federal government to undermine American elections.”

With five GOP-controlled states now weighing new redistricting measures — and legal battles already underway over voter data and ballot access — the stage is set for a fierce war over how, where, and for whom ballots will count.

And once again, the integrity of American democracy may hang in the balance.